Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) Stock Price Up 3.5%

Peabody Energy Co. (NYSE:BTU)’s stock price was up 3.5% during trading on Tuesday . The stock traded as high as $23.83 and last traded at $23.74. Approximately 1,413,385 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 63% from the average daily volume of 3,779,381 shares. The stock had previously closed at $22.94.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts recently commented on BTU shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $28.00 price objective on shares of Peabody Energy in a research note on Friday, April 12th. B. Riley dropped their target price on shares of Peabody Energy from $34.00 to $32.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday.

Peabody Energy Price Performance

The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $24.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $24.53. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.06 billion, a PE ratio of 4.83 and a beta of 0.98. The company has a current ratio of 2.06, a quick ratio of 1.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.09.

Peabody Energy (NYSE:BTU) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 8th. The coal producer reported $1.33 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.41 by ($0.08). The business had revenue of $1.24 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.22 billion. Peabody Energy had a net margin of 15.36% and a return on equity of 21.45%. The firm’s revenue was down 24.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.65 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Peabody Energy Co. will post 3.66 earnings per share for the current year.

Peabody Energy Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, February 22nd were issued a dividend of $0.075 per share. This represents a $0.30 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.25%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 21st. Peabody Energy’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 6.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 31,980 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $25.48, for a total transaction of $814,850.40. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 78,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,995,262.36. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other Peabody Energy news, CFO Mark Spurbeck sold 6,826 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 23rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $24.57, for a total transaction of $167,714.82. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 75,464 shares in the company, valued at $1,854,150.48. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, COO Darren Ronald Yeates sold 31,980 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $25.48, for a total transaction of $814,850.40. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 78,307 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,995,262.36. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders have sold 52,806 shares of company stock valued at $1,339,565. Corporate insiders own 0.09% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Peabody Energy

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Range Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the first quarter valued at about $224,000. Rheos Capital Works Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 189.8% in the first quarter. Rheos Capital Works Inc. now owns 579,500 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $14,059,000 after purchasing an additional 379,500 shares during the period. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,208,000. Hobbs Group Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Peabody Energy in the fourth quarter valued at about $57,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP grew its holdings in shares of Peabody Energy by 32.3% in the fourth quarter. GSA Capital Partners LLP now owns 134,193 shares of the coal producer’s stock valued at $3,264,000 after purchasing an additional 32,775 shares during the period. 87.44% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Peabody Energy Company Profile

Peabody Energy Corporation engages in coal mining business in the United States, Japan, Taiwan, Australia, India, Brazil, Belgium, Chile, France, Indonesia, China, Vietnam, South Korea, Germany, and internationally. The company operates through Seaborne Thermal, Seaborne Metallurgical, Powder River Basin, Other U.S.